The Oracle and a Forgotten Past
The sharpened disks continued to hover about, manipulated by General Scimitar's energy. She could sweep them in any direction she pleased and could have them come to a complete stop on command. The chakrams did not diminish in speed. Instead, they seemed to intensify in their spins, giving the razor edges a cleaner cut. Riku and Sora were lucky so far, they had not been cut once by the chakrams, but then again, things could change at the rate they were going. The key bearers held their keyblades at the ready, awaiting that next sweep by the hovering chakrams.
"Keep your guard up, Sora." Riku said. "Those two flying blades could come at us at any time."
"I'm on it." Sora replied. The two chakrams twitched and turned back and forth, as if waiting for that single opportunity to strike.
"We have to somehow snatch the blades around out keyblades."-
"But how were you planning on doing that?"-
"We'll have to time it precisely. One wrong move can determine between life and death."-
"Enough of this," Scimitar said, "I've wasted too much time playing around." Scimitar swept her hands in front of her, giving the command to attack. Sure enough, the two chakrams made a speedy strike, rushing towards the key bearers at an incredible rate.
"Here they come!" Riku shouted. "Get ready."
"How will we do this though?"-
"We duck!" Riku and Sora bent backwards just as the chakrams passed by. But at the same time, they raised their keyblades into the air, hoping to snare the rings around the shaft of their weapons. However, the moment their weapons raised into the air, Scimitar quickly drew her hands up, directing the chakrams at an upward angle. "Damn it, we missed." Riku and Sora stood upright after the bladed rings passed over them and began to hover above their heads as they did before.
"So," Scimitar thought to herself, "The key bearers are hoping to snatch the chakrams on the shafts of their keyblades, eh? Like a ring toss. It seems they're quite scared of the bladed rings. But then again, so would I if I couldn't anticipate when or how they would strike. Oh well, I guess it can't hurt to amuse them a little."
Scimitar drew up her arms and prepared for another sweep against the key bearers. Riku and Sora saw the glittering edge of the chakrams as they spun overhead.
"Let's try it again." Riku said. "Are you ready?"
"I'm ready." Sora added.
"Now die!" Scimitar shouted. She swung her hands before her and the chakrams rushed full speed towards her youthful foes.
"Now!" Riku shouted. The key bearers bent back, throwing their keyblades up.
"Fools!" Scimitar chuckled. She suddenly twisted her hands and the key blades suddenly changed from a horizontal spin to a vertical spin. The two heroes were taken completely by surprise to find the blade spinning at them with the sharpened edge propelled vertically like a buzz saw.
"Dodge it!" Riku cried, falling completely on his back. Sora on the other hand was not as lucky. Though he evaded the chakram that targeted him, the other ring targeting Riku, came up from behind and cut Sora across the right shoulder. The young hero fell to the ground and grasped at his wound, crying out. Sora saw as the blood dripped from the severed flesh.
"It hurts," Sora cried, "I've been cut!"
"Sora," Riku uttered. He noticed the chakram turning about and making another run to cut them. This time, the chakram was heading low, hoping to finish the job. It was aiming to finish off Sora first. Riku quickly grabbed Sora and rolled each other on the ground out of the ring's path. The chakram slid against the stone floor, causing sparks to fly when the outer ring scraped along the hard surface. "That was close." Riku's sigh of relief didn't last long as he saw the second chakram flying straight at them. "Oh hell…" Riku rolled himself and Sora over again, evading the second chakram which ground at the stone floor before ascending back into the air. Then again, one of the two rings did the same and again Riku and Sora clutched tightly to each other and rolled out of the path of the spinning weapons. Again and again the process was repeated.
"You can't out roll my chakrams forever!" Scimitar shouted. "You'll eventually lose your sense of direction at this rate."
Again, the two rolled over out of the path of one of the chakrams. Riku rolled on top of Sora. But this time, Sora was getting a little uncomfortable.
"Riku," he uttered, "are you enjoying yourself?"
"What do you mean?" Riku asked.
"I mean, of all the times we've been evading those stupid razor rings, you haven't stopped rubbing yourself up against me."-
"Will you shut up! I don't swing that way!" Riku again rolled out of the way of another incoming chakram. "Not unless you prefer to get sliced."
"I'm gonna be sick at this rate."-
"You ungrateful little…" But suddenly, there was a sharp sting in Riku's back. One of the chakrams had managed to gash him across the back.
"Riku are you alright?"-
"More or less, but I think that stupid thing got me. Cut me right across my back."-
Riku released Sora in time to see the second chakram speeding towards them.
"Riku, look out!" Sora shouted.
"Damn it all! I've had enough of this!" Riku drew out his hand unleashed a powerful elemental attack. "Iceberg Shuriken!" From Riku's palm a large block of ice appeared and struck the chakram. The bladed ring was frozen in its place and was sent skidding across the floor in a big ice cube.
"What in the world?" Scimitar uttered. She sneered. "Damn, they figured out how to immobilize the chakrams." The block of ice holding the frozen chakram slid to the general's feet. She raised her foot and caught the block of use under her heal. In the meantime, the other chakram went flying back towards the general, but not after making one last attempt to try and sever the key bearers for one last time.
"Not again," Sora moaned.
"Move out of the way!" Riku ordered. The two rolled long the ground, their blood dripping and smudging the stone floor. The spinning chakram struck sparks when it grazed the ground. It then landed back into the hands of the general. Riku looked up at Scimitar. "Well, at least that's over."
"Sorry Riku," Sora uttered. He comrade looked at him puzzled.
"Sorry for what?"-
"I mean sorry for letting you lose your concentration."-
"I can understand that, Sora. If I had another guy rubbing up against me, I'd probably react the same way." Riku reached behind him, feeling the cut on his back. He drew his hand in front of him, after touching the wound, and looked at the red blood covering his glove. "The damage is done. Nothing can change that now."
"Well, well, well," Scimitar declared, "I guess I was wrong. I misjudged your abilities. You managed to survive the attacks of the chakrams and even found a way to immobilize them in their spinning repetitions. But unfortunately, you did not escape that scuffle unscathed." Scimitar smirked as she observed the deep wounds on the key bearers. "Now with those deep wounds inflicted on your youthful bodies, your strength and agility have been severed by a quarter, or at the most a half."
"That doesn't mean anything, Scimitar."-
"Oh, I'm afraid you're wrong. Now that you've been injured, you won't be able to maintain such a strong defense and offense. Your wounds spill more blood with every passing second. And I can assure you that it won't be too long before you lose consciousness due to blood loss."
"So what," Sora uttered, "We've suffered worse than this."
"That may be, but you're not dealing with a foe that uses any kind of contraption to affect the conditions in the atmosphere. I don't depend upon such devices like General Bayonet or General Dagger. I use my own strength and determination to battle you." Scimitar placed her hand before her, all fingers erect and pointing upward, much like one would clap their hands in prayer. Like some monk or mystic Buddha, she began to increase her center of energy. This became apparent of the key bearers, who could feel this sudden rise in strength. "This power is all mine."
Just then, the chakram sealed in ice, freed itself from its frozen prison, shattering the block into thousands of pieces. The chakram began to hover like a saucer, spinning ferociously as it did before. Scimitar extended the arm bearing the second chakram and released the ring sword from her grip. The bladed ring of steel did not fall to the ground though. Instead, it hovered level to the hand that released it and began spinning as well. Both were once controlled by her energy now and like two bodyguards, they remained vigilant.
"What is she doing?" Sora asked.
"I don't know." Riku replied. "Is she going to initiate the same attack?"
At that moment, Scimitar began to levitate just a few inches over the ground as if possessed by some demonic aura.
"Let me show off just one of my secret attacks before putting you out of your misery." Scimitar uttered. "It would not be improper for you to depart this life without beholding a glimpse of the power to which I am capable." The chakrams hovering at her sides began to spin faster and faster until the image of two separate spinning ring swords was extinguished giving way to a solid image. Like the rings around Saturn, the two chakrams made the solid image of a larger ring around the general. With the spinning of the chakrams, there also came the high pitched scream of steel cutting through the air, like a tea kettle giving off steam, only the sound was more metallic and consistent, not rising or dropping in dynamics.
"What the heck is that?" Sora asked. "It's like those two chakrams converged into one big ring."
"It's because of the high velocity in speed." Riku replied. "Those ring swords are spinning around her so fast, that they seem to be forming one giant ring around her. Also, at the rate they're traveling, they would be able to cut straight through solid steel with very little effort."
"This is one of my basic techniques, which I call the Banshee Blade." Scimitar explained. "Its name is derived from the screaming tone it's accumulating. With this attack, I can cut down entire legions in seconds. I can increase and decrease the destructive area to whatever extend I wish. You should feel honored. No one has ever seen this attack and lived to tell about it. But I show it to you because you two are the first ones to actually survive the primary attacks. Most others would have died a long time ago. Consider yourselves fortunate."
"Lucky us…"-
"Prepare yourselves, boys!" Scimitar unleashed her attack. Her speed suddenly picked up as she glided across the ground as if a specter. The key bearers were caught off guard from this maneuver.
"Look out!" Sora cried. The two jumped out of the way of the flying ring swords. Like a top that didn't die in its momentum, Scimitar continued to glide about. The ring around her would increase in distance and decrease in distance at will, at times subtle then unexpectedly with gusto. Riku and Sora stayed low, avoiding the path of the blades.
"Imbeciles," Scimitar chuckled, "Things are not always as they seem." The ring suddenly started to topple back and forth, wobbling itself from side to side, lowering one end to the other, as a coin does when it loses its capacity to continue rolling on its side. The descending side, when touching the ground, would no longer cause sparks. Instead, the rings would cut straight through the stone of the floor, creating these deep cuts in the rock. Riku and Sora did their best to stay away from the incoming chakrams.
"There has to be a way that we can break through that defense." Sora said. "It's too small an area for me to teleport into and get within reach of her."
"We have no choice." Riku replied. "I know we're limited on ether, but we'll have to make that sacrifice until the others come. Sora, use some of your special techniques and elemental attacks to finish the job."
"Right, it'll be my pleasure!" Sora drew his keyblade before him. "Let's see how you like this little technique!" Sora unleashed a powerful energy beam from the tip of his weapon. The beam went flying towards Scimitar.
"Nice try, but," Scimitar leaped high into the air. The chakrams continued to spin in their circle. The general then maneuvered the chakrams forward and enclosed the gap between the two ring swords with her own energy. The energy gave off a strange blue light. She had created a makeshift shield. The beam made impact with the shield and was instantly deflected. Sora was dumbfounded.
"I don't believe it." He uttered.
"She filled in the space between the two blade rings to create a temporary barrier." Riku said.
"Not good enough!" Scimitar declared in a high and boisterous tone. "I can do anything I wish with these chakrams. That was the Banshee Shield, where I concentrated my energy towards the open space between the flying chakrams and created a barrier that can deflect even your energy beams.
"Man," Sora uttered, "she's good."
"Sora," Riku said in a lowered voice. "Try and use that attack again."
"Why bother? We already know that the energy beam doesn't have any effect on her so long as she can deploy that Banshee Shield."
"I know that, but do it anyway."-
"What's up, Riku?"-
"I have a plan. Just go out with another all out attack."-
"Alright, but I hope you know what you're doing."-
"Trust me."-
Sora didn't argue. He knew that once Riku had a thought in his head, there was no stopping him. He raised his keyblade again and accumulated his combined physical and spiritual strength, with the use of ether, to create another energy beam. Sora blasted away another column of light.
"This technique again?" Scimitar uttered. "You think you would learn after the first time." She once again, transformed the spinning blades into a solid shield, Scimitar deflected the second beam. "Haven't we already tried this assault technique?"
"Not quite!" a voice shouted from behind. Scimitar suddenly turned to find Riku almost on top of her. His keyblade was drawn back to initiate a swift side slash. "It's over."
"You think it is, but you are terribly mistaken!" scimitar drew up her left arm, extending it straight. Then from out of her sleeve, a grappling dagger appeared, bursting out from under the arm of her frock like a bullet. Riku was caught off guard and the dagger impaled him through his left shoulder. He went flying backwards toward the ground, the blade still lodged in his shoulder. He cried out before slamming into the ground and skidding across the ground, stopping at the base of one of the pillars. Scimitar smirked. "That takes care of that upstart rift raft."
"Riku!" Sora cried.
"So Sora, you like to use energy attacks! Then let's play with energy attacks!" The shield that deflected Sora's aura attack, suddenly transformed from a defensive weapon to an offensive weapon. A large ball of energy appeared just before the shield. That ball of energy suddenly went flying downward. Sora saw the massive blue sphere coming at him. He panicked and quickly ran out of the path of the incoming ball. The ball made impact and caused a massive explosion that forced the entire to cave to shake. Sora was literally blown away, flying through the air with incredible force created by the explosion and landed on the hard stone floor with great impact. He skidded two to three times before coming to a complete halt just in front of the closed doors leading to the treasure room. Debris and rock dust fell upon him. The impact of the energy sphere in the chamber was so great that it dislodged one of the pillars on the frontal chamber and the column went tumbling down, taking bit of the chamber's ceiling with it. The massive structure began to collapse towards the door, where the fallen key bearer lay. Sora shook his head, clearing his senses and looked up in times to find the column of stone descending upon him.
"Oh my God!" Sora shouted, he quickly jumped to his feet and cleared the way, just as the pillar fell to the ground. The column struck the doors to the treasure room, knocking them down. The doors fell over the gold, creating a crushing sound of rock and gold. Debris of rock spewed over the golden glint of the treasure room as the column lay still upon its valuable contents. Great clouds of dust billowed into the air, creating a suffocating atmosphere of falling rock and debris. Sora lay near the fallen pillar, still weary from dodging the impact. Scimitar chuckled.
"Oops," she uttered, "I might have overdone it a little. But then again, it was well worth the effort to do away with that little nuisance. Nothing can equal the power of the Banshee Gun."
Riku raised his head to find Sora lying still o the ground almost lifeless. He tried to raise himself, but collapsed again when the pang from the wound in his arm affected every nerve in his body. The dagger had impaled his arm straight through to the other side of his shoulder, its hilt sticking out from the front like some black affliction, or blemish.
"Sora…" he uttered. Riku's keyblade lay next to him. He reached for its hilt and clutched it tightly. He raised himself into a sitting position against one of the stone pillars. Though he sat up, he could not rise. Riku had lost so much blood that merely trying sitting up caused dizzy spells. His eyesight grew blurry, not allowing him to distinguish many of the objects in the chamber. The blood from the wound on his pierced shoulder dripped profusely down his arm like a mountain stream. The cut on his back further increased the loss of blood. It looked like the young key bearers had been bathing in tomato sauce. Riku nodded his head about, unable to keep it positioned in one spot. He gazed up to see the faint figure of Scimitar hovering in mid air over him.
"Well," she said, turning her attention towards Riku, "Noctin Tilandir has fallen for the last time." She stretched her arms out and instantly the two spinning chakrams ceased their revolutions and lightly set themselves into the general's palms. "To think that you would lose in such a miserable way. Now what would be a fitting demise for the thorn in the side of the faction? Shall I be merciful and give you the honor of a swift and painless death, or should I be ruthless and let you linger until every drop of blood drains from you body. And I can tell you death by loss of blood isn't a pretty one."
"No need to tell me," Riku uttered in a faint whisper, "I know what it feels like to die slowly. I've gone through that before."
"Well, then that's no fun. If you already experienced a slow and agonizing death, then what's the point of having to go through it again?" Scimitar sighed, then lifted her head up giving this evil smirk on her face. "Of well, if not the latter, then the former shall do." The general clutched the chakram tightly in her gloved right hand. "It's a good thing that I'm one to deliver swift executions, Riku. Now die…" Scimitar drew his right arm behind her as if ready to throw it. Then with one powerful throw, she launched the chakram straight at Riku.
Sora in the meantime, had managed to raise himself on his hands and knees to find the chakram heading straight for his best friend.
"No, Riku," Sora cried.
"This is the end for you, Noctin Tilandir." Scimitar said at the back of her mind.
It seemed inevitable this time around. Riku was truly about to meet his demise. But as the fates had intervened so many times in the past, a miracle came before the key bearers in the form of a trusted comrade. From out of the shadows, Cuchulain appeared, leaping from off of the flying carpet. The Carpet swung about and hid behind one of the stone pillars as Cuchulain charged into battle He rushed forward, placing himself between Riku and the incoming ring sword. Using the tip of the Gae Bulga, he caught the open space of the ring itself. He then turned about and threw the chakram back at the Blade General. Scimitar was caught off guard and watched as the bladed ring came straight back at her.
"What in the world…!" she uttered. She drew his head to the side, just as chakram passed by. The tip of the sharpened blade grazed her left cheek, creating a cut across her face. A couple of drops of blood trickled from the wound. The chakram in the meantime lodged itself in one of the stone pillars. Scimitar sneered as she laid her eyes upon her assailant, who stood firm, gazing up at her. "So it's you."
"I didn't want to believe it." Cuchulain said. "I was hoping that my eyes and senses were deceiving me. But no amount of deception could hide your identity." Cuchulain looked at Riku. He then looked at Sora who was still trying to stagger to his feet. He gazed back at the general. "Whatever quarrels you had with Riku and Sora, you can take them up with me now."
"Cuchulain…" Riku uttered, grasping his shoulder. "What kept you?"
"Sorry I'm late, Riku. I had some delays. Are you alright?"-
"I've had better days. But then again, I've had worse."-
"Well, it's a good thing I came when I did."-
"Riku…" Sora said. When rising to his feet, he rushed to his friend's side. He knelt next to Riku, placing his hand on his wounded shoulder. Sora observed the severe injuries his comrade had received. "Riku, are you okay?"
"I've come back from even worse, Sora." Riku replied. "Thanks for asking." Sora nodded. He then happened to look up at Cuchulain.
"Cuchulain…" he uttered. "You made it…"
"Are you alright, Sora?" the Hound asked.
"I'm alright, but Riku's in bad condition."-
"Don't worry the others will make it here soon." Cuchulain then fixed his gaze back at scimitar that still floated about in the air. "So I take it that that is General Scimitar?"
"That's her alright. She's the one who did this to Riku."-
"Is that so…?" Cuchulain clutched the staff of his Gae Bulga tightly around his fingers. There was silence that came over the atmosphere as Hound and general laid eyes on one another.
"So," Scimitar said, breaking the silence, "We finally meet again…Setante." The name struck no familiarity with the key bearers.
"So it is you." Cuchulain replied. "I was right all along."
"Setante…?" Sora asked. "Who's Setante?"
"Cuchulain…?" Riku added. "Was she addressing you?"
"Yes…" Cuchulain replied.
"But why did she call you…?"-
"Setante I my birth name, it is the title that I would usually go by at times of peace or with family members."-
"But your present name Cuchulain…" Sora uttered.
"Cuchulain is the warrior title that was given to me by the members of the Red Branch." The Hound continued. "It was bestowed on me the night I killed the ravenous and blood-thirsty wolfhound of Cullen, an animal known for its ferocity. But after slaying it, I took the liberty of taking over its duty as a protector. Thus, the title Cuchulain was given. It means Hound of Cullen. But it's progressively evolved into the Hound of Ulster." Cuchulain placed his spear's base firmly on the ground with the glimmering gold head facing upward. "However, no one outside of my world knew of my birth name and I never mentioned it to anyone."
"Does Cunla know?" Riku asked.
"Not even my own son knows the true name of his father. But Scimitar knows my name." He then shouted back at the Blade General. "But then again, Scimitar really isn't your name is it! It's just an alias that you took on. And I bet no one knows your true identity either. But you can't full me. I will always remember those eyes, no matter how many years pass."-
"I would expect nothing less from you, Setante." Scimitar chuckled.
"Who is she?" Sora asked. "Is she from your world?"
"Many people throughout Erin knew of me by my warrior title, but a seldom few would have known about by birth name. One of those people happened to be the mighty warrior queen of Erin's western kingdom, a female warrior whose talents supposedly equaled that of the war god Morrigan, a fighter who put even the most gifted and talented fighting men of the four kingdoms to shame, Queen Maeve of Connaught."-
"She's a queen?"-
"It's the reason why you were wounded so severely by her, Riku. It's not that you were unprepared; Maeve has a notorious reputation for being the greatest warrior of Erin. Her strength even surpasses my own."-
"You're kidding." Riku uttered.
"Well," Scimitar said. "Now that you know who I truly am, shall we continue?"
"I can handle Maeve." Cuchulain said. "It's best that you stay out of this fight for now."
"Right…" Sora uttered. He looked to Riku. "We should hurry up and find Saber."
"You're right," Riku replied, "Let's get going." But when he tried to stand, he simply collapsed.
"Riku!" Sora aided him, keeping him on his feet.
"I've lost too much blood. I don't have anymore energy."-
"We have to keep going, Riku."-
"Why bother?" Scimitar said. "There's no one else here, but me."
"Get out of here, you two." Cuchulain said. "I can't fight to my full extent if I have to worry about you as well."
"We can't," Sora said, "we still have to find General Saber."
"General Saber is here too?"-
"Yeah…"-
"You fools," Scimitar shouted, "General Saber is nowhere around here. I was left in charge of this expedition!" She hoped that her deception might persuade the key bearers to turn towards the entrance to the cave and withdraw, but the key bearers were in no way fooled.
"You can't fool us," Riku said, his tone becoming hoarser and his breathing more labored, "We know…that Saber is down there. I can feel…his presence lingering."
"You delude yourself, boy. Saber is not here, I am the only one left."-
"Then why did you bother staying here to fight…if he isn't around? You would have departed with…the convoy long ago…" Scimitar sighed and chuckled slightly to herself. There was no avoiding that they knew, so she played along, revealing the truth.
"Very clever of you, Noctin Tilandir, I commend you most highly to see through my deception."-
"It wasn't hard…to figure out that you were…lying…"-
"Besides, we already knew that Saber was here." Sora added. "And it doesn't matter how well he conceals his strength, nothing can cover up that aura of evil."
"Is that true, or is that simply conjecture?" Scimitar asked.
"We'll find out soon enough." Sora turned to the flying carpet that was still hiding behind the stone column. "Carpet, take me and Riku to Saber."
The carpet acknowledged and swooped in. He picked up Riku ad Sora and began heading towards the downed gates of the treasure room. This in turn infuriated Scimitar.
"Damn you, key bearers." She uttered silently. She drew up her left arm, fully straightened, and fired another metal dagger. The dagger struck the bottom corner of the carpet just as he flew over the doors. Carpet was snagged and pinned to the ground. The sudden jerk threw the key bearers off. "I will not allow you to draw any closer to the general!" She prepared to throw her chakram, but Cuchulain appeared before her, his Gae Bulga at the ready.
"You forget," Cuchulain said, "You're fight is with me, Maeve."
"Do not dare to stand in my way, Hound, or I will slay you in turn."-
"Whatever the outcome, I won't allow you to harm the key bearers."-
"You fool, Setante, you think that you can outwit the mighty queen of Connaught!"-
"Why don't we find out and see if the rumors of your strength are true." Cuchulain made ready to battle, taking his stance.
"Have you not seen how easily the key bearers fell to my whim?"-
"They might be down, but they're not out yet. Not unless the great Queen Maeve has turned tail and ran. Are you more likely to dispense with wounded foes, displaying such heroics, rather than taking on a foe still fully functional?"-
"I just don't like to leave tasks unfinished."-
"Your goal is the kill the key bearers. My goal is to protect them. So in order to get to them, you'll have to defeat me first."-
"Pretty brave aren't we?" Scimitar lowered her hand. "Then I'll defeat and kill you first. An after you've met your demise, the key bearers will be open prey to the queen of Connaught."
"Very well…"-
But suddenly, coming from the entry way to the cave, two young voices were heard. Both combatants turned to find two boys running down the stairs to the chamber floor.
"Dad," one voice hollered, "Are you in here!"
"Cunla…" Cuchulain uttered. He looked to see his son coming towards him. And following soon after was the Fullmetal Alchemist. But it was the presence of Edward Elric that caused tension to grow when Scimitar laid eyes on him.
"It can't be." She uttered. "Fullmetal is still alive?"
"Dad," Cunla cried, as he and Ed rushed to his dad's side.
"Good," Ed said, "We didn't get here too late."
"What're you boys doing here?" Cuchulain asked. "Where are the others?"
"Something came up, Father." Cunla replied. "They feared for the safety of Agrabah. So Colonel Billiard accompanied them to the city."
"The faction is planning to forge a Philosopher stone." Ed said.
"A philosopher stone…?" Cuchulain uttered.
"How in blazes did you manage to survive, Fullmetal!" Scimitar demanded. "You should have died a long time ago!"
"Well, it's a good thing that the KH team came to my aid when they did." Fullmetal replied. "Oh yeah, and I'm gonna pay you back for betraying me!"
"Impudent boy, you know not who you speak to."-
"I'd say a worked up old hag."-
"Why you insolent little…!"-
Ed stuck out his tongue and gave a little of the eye, insulting the general.
"Mind what you say and do, Fullmetal," Cuchulain said, "General Scimitar is more powerful than you think. She was the one who severely crippled Riku and Sora."
"Riku and Sora," Cunla asked, "Where are they?"
"They're over there, next to the fallen treasure room doors." He pointed towards where the key bearers lay, not breaking his eye contact with Scimitar.
"You guys…!" Cunla ran over to the key bearers who were staggering a little. Cunla came to see the horrible state of his comrades. "Are you two alright?"
"Cunla…" Sora uttered. "Nice to see that you made it."
"And Riku…?"-
"I've definitely had better days…" Riku grumbled.
"Are you two alright?" Ed asked as he ran over to see what was going on.
"Hey, Ed," Sora uttered, "You're here too."
"What happened to Carpet?" Cunla asked, looking down at the rug that was pinned to the ground with the metal spike. He reached down and pulled out the spike, releasing Carpet. The flying tapestry suffered minimal damage and quickly hid behind the fallen doors.
"Well, good to see you're too badly hurt." Sora said.
"Where…where are the others?" Riku asked, not seeing any of the other party members present.
"They had to take care of important issues back in Agrabah." Ed replied.
"Don't worry," Cunla added, "Miss Billiard went with them too."
"What about Donald and Goofy?" Sora asked.
"Well, the last time we had contact with them, they were somewhere between here and the faction's mother ship."-
"I hope they're alright."-
"I'm sure they are."-
"We have to keep going." Riku uttered, he tried to stand to his feet, but collapsed again.
"Riku," Sora said, "Don't strain yourself. You're in a bad enough condition as it is."
"But we have to track down…Saber…"-
"So Saber is here." Ed uttered.
"He may have gone that way." Sora pointed to the passage way beyond the treasure room.
"I see." Edward stood up. "Then that's where we're going."-
"But what about Cuchulain?"-
"Riku, Sora, Cunla, Fullmetal," Cuchulain declared, "If there is something that you have to do, then do it. I'll stay here and battle Scimitar."
"But father…" Cunla uttered.
"This is my fight now and I don't want you to interfere, no matter what."-
"Let me at least help you, father."-
"I will fight this battle alone, Cunla. I can't go all out if I have to worry about your safety too."-
"I…"-
"Go now; get to Saber while you still can."-
"Right," Sora said. He turned to Cunla. "Cunla, could you watch Riku for me?"
"Uh…" Cunla uttered.
"I'm not staying here, Sora." Riku protested. "I'm coming with you…" But the key bearers could barely lift his body up, let alone stand. The blood lose had taken its toll on him and his body felt as if it were being weighted down by heavy chains.
"Riku, I can take it from here." Sora said. "You can't stress your body out anymore than you already have."
"But I…"-
"Listen to me." Sora placed his hand on Riku's shoulder. "I can't close the doors without you, buddy. You have to stay alive for me." Riku gritted his teeth, angered at the thought of himself being of no more use than a paperweight. He looked up and Sora and nodded hesitantly.
"Alright," he uttered, "I'll stay."
"Don't worry about Riku," Cunla said, "I'll make sure he stays out of trouble."
"Thanks kid…" Sora ruffled Cunla's hair and rushed towards the passage entrance leading to the very bowls of the cave itself.
"Wait for me!" Ed shouted as he trailed behind. He then looked about at the cavern of vast wealth and riches.
"Sora was right," he thought to himself, "This place is incredible. More incredible than I thought it would be."
In the meantime, Cunla sat next to Riku, watching the ailing key bearer hold on for dear life.
"Hang in there, Riku…" he whispered.
"I'll be alright, kid…" Riku replied. "I told you that I've had worse than this." Riku reached for the dagger still lodged in his shoulder. With all his strength, he extracted the blade from his flesh. More blood spurted out. Riku tossed and turned as the blade left his body, twitching in pain, but not once crying in pain. He gasped for breath and clutched tightly to the open wound. Cunla took hold of the wound and prevented more blood from exiting Riku's already frail from, turning his gloves a crimson red.
"I've got you, Riku."-
"Just keep out of sight…while your father and Scimitar are fighting. And stay out of the fight altogether…You don't want him to worry about you…at the same time."-
"My father's about to do battle with the infamous Scimitar of the Blade Generals," Cunla poked his head from behind the fallen door. "This will be an intense fight."
He watched as the standoff between Cuchulain and Maeve continued. The two mightiest warriors in all of Erin stood face to face in single combat for the first time in history.
"So," Scimitar said, "You and I shall do battle for the first time in the history of our nation, the Hound of Ulster against the Great Warrior Queen of the West!"
"Enough talk, Maeve!" Cuchulain said, drawing his spear for the upcoming fight. "Let's see if you can truly back up your words as a warrior!"
"Have at you then!"-
Cunla heard the declarations made by his father and Scimitar and heard the name of the legendary warrior queen.
"Maeve…?" he uttered, "As in the infamous Queen Maeve of Connaught!" He gazed at Scimitar. "My God; and I never realized it until now."
Scimitar suddenly threw the chakram still in her hand at the Hound. At the same time, she withdrew, reaching for the chakram still lodged in the stone pillar. Cuchulain saw the incoming chakram and caught it with the point of his Gae Bulga. He then launched it back towards the general as he did before. But Scimitar was ready, grabbing hold of the chakram still embedded in the column and freeing it from its stone confinement. At the same time, she twisted about and caught the other chakram just as it flew by. She flipped and landed back on her feet. The moment her toes touched the ground, she made a sudden lunge towards the Hound. Cuchulain made ready his spear and thrust forward, just as Scimitar came at him. She ducked and caught the spear between the chakrams. But Cuchulain kicked the staff of his spear and forced the general to release his weapon. Scimitar tried to slice the Hound at the ankle, but Cuchulain evaded, flipping backward. Scimitar rushed in, just as the Hound regained his stance. The fight grew more intense as the two went into hand to hand combat, their weapons clashing. Scimitar did her best to cut Cuchulain, while Cuchulain unleashed attacks of a combined slash and thrust attacks. Sparks flew as metal skinned metal, but neither warrior was able to inflict any further damage on the other. They were either to fast, or too agile to be severed and spill blood. To one point Cuchulain began a multi-thrust attack, striking swiftly both high and low, but the monarch was quick to evade the head of his spear. He then did several twists and twirls, hoping to delude and confuse his enemy, using the broad end and the sharpened head of the spear. However, Scimitar was not confused. She anticipated each attack. She in turn did the same to Cuchulain, using the chakrams to force the Hound to lose focus. But as accurate as her, Cuchulain was swift and predicted every move she made. Then finally, Cuchulain and Scimitar locked their weapons, pushing against one another.
"Not bad, Hound," Scimitar chuckled, "You are better than I expected."
"I have to commend you as well." Cuchulain replied. "I must say that I find your strength awesome, Maeve."
"However, I notice that you're holding back."-
"You're holding back as well. I can feel it."-
"So we can predict each others moves." The two pushed each other away, ending the deadlock.
"Why don't you end this fight here and now?" Scimitar asked. "You have the rage and the legendary Gae Bulga at your disposal, why bother letting the fight continue."
"Because I know you're only playing for time." Cuchulain replied. "Otherwise, you would have gone all out and would have finished off Riku and Sora a long time ago. Whatever Saber is looking for, it must be extremely valuable." There weapons clash again. "Besides, I want to enjoy this fight to its full extent. And I'm sure you're just as resilient to engage in a battle of strength and cunning as much as I am. "
"You know a great deal for someone who's still in his youth. And you have a knack for knowing the mind of your enemy."-
In the meantime, deep within the bowels of the cave of wonders, General Saber still browsed the caverns looking for the elusive chamber wielding the Oracle Scepter. He made sure to keep track of where he was because the deeper he went, the greater the labyrinth became around him.
"I'm starting to lose patience." He said. "How elusive and mysterious this chamber must be. But I suppose that is why they dubbed this place the cave of wonders." But as the general passed another corridor, he noticed that this particular path had a bizarre green light illuminating. Though faint in appearance, it was visible. "Well, do my eyes deceive me, or might this be the way to the scepter?" He walked down the long corridor, softly and quietly, edging closer to whatever created this dim green light. Sure enough, as he reached the end of the corridor, Saber entered a large domed chamber.
The chamber was vast, extending in an area of at least three hundred feet. At its center was a platform which rose almost halfway to the dome's extreme top. A flight of stairs, stacked like flapjacks, getting smaller as one topped the other, ascended to the very top of the platform. And upon that flattened surface at its peak, a rod of gold, with an emerald green jewel mounted on its top, lay in wait for Saber to retrieve it.
"Well, well," he uttered, "So there it is, the mythical Oracle Scepter." Saber walked over to the platform, ascended the stairs and came to the stone table that beheld his key. He grasped at the scepter, holding it vertically in his hand. "This has to be it. The document describes it as such, a golden scepter with a large, well crafted emerald jewel at its top. Saber held the scepter in his outstretched hand. "Spirit of the scepter, come forth and bless me with your presence!"
The emerald on the staff suddenly began to glow brighter and brighter, becoming ever more illuminant. The chamber filled with a bright green and a white light as the oracle came forth, the form of a woman appeared, fair and beautiful, consumed by this intense light.
"I am the spirit of the scepter." She replied. "I am the all knowing oracle, the all seeing spirit. I will answer whatever question you ask me, but mind you I will only answer one."
"Wise oracle," Saber began, "Where can I find the hand of Midas?"
"The hand of Midas is what you seek. Go to the coast where the land extends its one finger where the ocean turns white. There, the fingernail of night and the morning star coincide together. When the sun peeks over the east, making night into day, the resting place of the hand of Midas will appear upon an island that never emerges in the same place twice. It lies in the temple where the hovering palm resides."
"Thank you for your time." Saber said. With that, the oracle disappeared in a great flash of light. Saber placed the scepter back in its place. "I would take you for my own, but alas, I will never see you again for you wealth is miniscule to the hand of Midas." But at that moment, the general picked up the sound of running feet approaching. "Well, it seems I have company."
Not too far away, Sora and Edward Elric were nearing the chamber. They had been running down the corridor leading to the hall and the chamber of the oracle scepter. They had seen the glimpses of the light and were on their way to investigate.
"Did you see that?" Ed asked.
"A bright light," Sora replied, "Only one other person could have triggered it."
"General Saber…"-
The two turned down the hall that led to the chamber. Saber could hear the footsteps approaching fast. He descended to the base of the platform and awaited his opponents.
"So," he said, "It appears they've found me."
The foot steps came nearer and nearer until the two forms could be seen from the present dim glow of light from the scepter. Saber anticipated that it was Sora and Riku approaching.
"So both of you key bearers have managed to find me?" He uttered. But in utter shock, it was not Riku who accompanied Sora, but the Fullmetal Alchemist. "What's this, Edward Elric is still alive?"
"Saber," Sora shouted. He drew out his keyblade.
"Well, well," Saber uttered, "This is quite a surprise. By your presence, I'd say that General Scimitar failed to keep you out of the chambers. But how is it that you managed to find me?"
"I've already been to bowels of the cave of wonders once before. But I must admit this is the first time that I've been down this way."-
"Is that so?" Saber looked at Sora's wound. "I take it that you didn't escape the scuffle with Scimitar completely undamaged."
"I was lucky enough to get passed her! As for Riku, he suffered even more!"-
"I see." Saber then looked at Edward Elric. "And what are you doing here siding with the key bearers, Edward Elric? I thought you were on our side? And I could have sworn that Scimitar told me that you perished in your mission in Agrabah? Are you merely forming a temporary alliance?"
"Don't you act innocent with me, Saber!" Ed shouted. "I already know that you tried to plot my assassination! And I would have died if it wasn't for Sora and the others aiding me in my time of need!"
"You should have known better than to present yourself before me, let alone standing against me. Don't forget, I still have your brother and Miss Rockbell held hostage."-
"That's where you're wrong, Saber. You're behind on your updates! We managed to rescue my brother and Winry."-
"You lie."-
"Oh no, I'm afraid it's true!"-
"You could not know of their…" It suddenly struck Saber to realize the mistake he had made. He had inadvertently exhibited the black information disk, regarding the whereabouts of Miss Rockbell and Alphonse, to Edward back on the ship. He then remembered how the reports told him about how the faction soldiers discovered a hole in the hull and how their might be intruders aboard the mother ship. "So that's how you did it? You retrieved the documents from my desk, which explains the giant hole mentioned on the side of the ship. You created that with your alchemy didn't you?"
"That's right. You showed me the location of the disk in your desk."-
"But even if you did know their whereabouts, it would have been impossible to liberate them with such tight security. The outposts confining your friends should have been able to detect your approach and send out a warning."-
"We knocked out all communications with your outposts when we commenced with rescuing my brother and Winry. And we made sure to keep quiet when we slunk around your base."-
"Damn it."-
"Now that was your one crucial mistake, underestimating me. Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist!"-
"And it's a mistake that I don't intend to make again."-
"It's too late for that now!" Ed made his stance before the General.
"So, Edward, have you come to settle the score with me?"-
"That's exactly what I plan to do!" Edward clasped his hands together and formed his grappler dagger. "For trying to kill me, holding my loved ones as hostages, and using them to control me and use me as a doll to perform your dirty work, I'll be sure that you pay dearly for what you did." Ed paused for a minute or two. "But answer me one thing, where is it that you plan on forging the Philosopher stone!"
"Philosopher stone…?" Sora uttered. "You mentioned that before."
"Exactly how much do you know?" Saber asked.
"When filing through your documents, looking for the info disk leading to Winry and Alphonse," Ed began, "I happened to spot some old documents that came from my world, authentic documents. It was an old Ishbalan text that gave precise instructions of how to perform the Grand Arcanum. However," Fullmetal reached into his pocket and pulled out crumbling shreds of paper and clutched it in his hand, displaying what was left of that important text, "you won't be requiring that text any longer!"
Saber's eyes grew wide with shock and rage.
"What have you done!" Saber uttered. "You destroyed the document!"
"The one crucial page with the outlay of the transmutation circle and the necessary text that goes with it, I destroyed it, shred it into pieces beyond all possible recovery!"-
"You little bastard, that was the original document! That was our one piece of reference to creating the perfect philosopher stone and you destroyed it! Now the only thing we have to go by are copies of that damned blueprint! Do you realize what you've done, do you realize what impact you've made on further research!"-
"I would rather see the document destroyed than to have it selfishly used by the faction. So I took the liberty of stripping you of it!"-
Saber clutched his fists tightly, enraged and angry. But he took a deep sigh and chuckled.
"Oh well, it's not really my problem is it. I'm not one to study alchemy. It's an obsolete science anyway. The copies made might have left a few details out from the original document, but I believe that they're accurate enough. The transmutation circle has already been studied. All that's needed is the ingredients to perform the alchemic reaction."-
"Using that technique, you would have to require a lot of lives to initiate the process. Is Agrabah your primary target for forging the stone?" Saber remained silent, a smirk upon his face.
"You say as if this stone is a bad thing." Sora asked. "What is the Philosopher stone?"
"It's a stone that holds a great deal of power." Ed explained. "It has the power to transmute material without the concept of equivalent exchange. With the stone, Saber would be able to cease the aging process, he'd be able to restore things back to their original form, he'll be able to heal with the stone and even bring people back from the dead. With the stone, the one who wields it can even accumulate a great deal of strength, making them a hundred times more capable to destruction than what is usually expected of them. Possibilities with the stone are boundless. That's why Saber is hoping to forge one."
"But you talk as if forging the stone were a bad thing altogether. Can't you use the stone for good too?"-
"You can, but it comes at a price."-
"In what way?" Sora asked.
"In order to form the stone it requires one key ingredient." Edward stalled for a moment, unable to speak. "And that key ingredient is human lives."
"Human lives?"-
"Yes, in this case, with performing the Grand Arcanum, thousands of lives, if not tens of thousands."-
"My God…"-
"That means everyone within a city, the size of Agrabah, can be sacrificed for the sake of the stone, every man, woman, and child."-
Sora cringed at the thought of all those people suddenly evaporating and becoming part of the stone's makeup.
"How could you even think about creating such a monstrosity, Saber?" he asked the general.
"In order to achieve one thing, another has to be sacrificed." Saber replied. "All things must have an equivalent exchange. The ends always justify the means."
"And yet you think that you can justify the forging of the stone by sacrificing thousands of human lives!" Edward shouted, angrily. "How can you bear the thought of forging the Philosopher stone with that kind of image in your mind, the thought of thousands of people sacrificed for the sake of one item!"
"Do not speak to me as if you have the right to judge me, Fullmetal. I have seen things that you would never hope to see in your dreams. I've seen the value of lives and not just that of humans. I've seen sights that are ten to a hundred times greater in devastation and death than just the forging of the philosopher stone. I've seen millions of people destroyed in an instant. I've seen planets evaporate before my eyes. I've seen entire galactic systems vanish without a trace. Compared to that, the contrast of the forging of the philosopher stone is not even a bloodbath in my eyes."-
"How could you think that way? What kind of a man are you!"-
"I sacrificed all forms of compassion from my body since the day I was baptized into the religion of chaos. Gain only what suits you best and expend everything else. You achieve your goal no matter what the cost it may have. If you think about it, all living things are expendable. They are of no more value and worth than the trash we dispose of. When you are surrounded by death and destruction, the thought of a solitary life lost is insignificant. If I were to kill you, there would be no real outcome. That's just one solitary death. Only those nearest you would mourn your loss, but everyone else will turn a blind eye and deaf ear. No one will pass on your legacy and take it seriously at the same time. They only carry on legacies because they believe it suits only them. Religious causes don't matter a damn. After encountering so much misery, I no longer find it a tragedy, but a nuisance." Saber stepped towards the two young men. "How many people have died because of your search for the philosopher stone? How many have fallen victim to the homunculi you lured out with your research? And yet you think that's equivalent exchange? And what is your own purpose to finding the philosopher stone? Is it simply to restore your arm and your leg as well as your brother's body? At what cost did that goal have on the world."
"Shut up!" Edward shouted.
"Why, are you afraid of the truth?" Saber asked. "You and I are no different."
"Don't you dare try and lower me to your level, Saber! We're nothing alike!"-
"And do you say that because you're in denial, or are you trying to justify the ends to your own means! Is that not what you said to me before? You want the stone as much as I do, yet you don't want to see the stone gain its key ingredient, the substance that makes it work. In order to gain the power of the stone, human lives must be sacrificed!"
"I don't want the stone if it has to result in that! My brother would never want to be revived in his real body knowing that people had to be sacrificed for it to be possible. Every time he looks at himself in the mirror, he'll see the faces of those thousands of people lost! And I could never live with a clear conscious with that weight on my chest, knowing that my limbs were restored because of that!"
"But there is no other way, Edward Elric. You either achieve with sacrifice, or you don't achieve at all." Saber drew out his hand. "Come with me and I will help you achieve your goal. You want the philosopher stone don't you? Well I can help you create it. So what if a city is being eradicated from existence? Compared to the greater universe out there, the loss of one city isn't even considered chaos."
"No, stop talking!" Edward cried. "Stop talking! I'm a better person than that!"
"Child, you still have a long way to go. You still have no understanding of the greater world. You must kill in order to survive. You have to take what is yours. There is no other philosophy than the idealism that leads to chaos."-
"No…" Edward fell to his knees covering his ears. "I'm a better person than that! I'm a better person than that!"-
"Why, because you hold life higher than your own gain! Compassion is merely a crutch, a safety harness to keep you from achieving your goals! It confines you, constricts you, and holds you back! You have to dispense with that boundary in order to become a perfect individual and to achieve your goals without question!"-
"No…" Ed began to cry as his mind filled with the thought of those thousands of people. "There lives aren't worthless…"
"Once you are blessed by my hand, you will think differently." Saber reached for Edward.
"That's enough!" Sora shouted. He rushed forward, with his keyblade drawn and slashed at Saber. The gallant key bearer stood in front of Edward. "Keep your filthy hands off of him."
"Now that wasn't very nice, Sora." Saber said. "I'm only trying to reveal the utter truth to the young alchemist!"
"No, you're only trying to let him see the thing that you consider truth! The minute you were baptized to the religion of chaos and sunk your heart in darkness was the moment you forfeited you life as an individual! You're nothing now, but a lap dog for Sirius Viicous!"-
"I am no lap dog, boy! It is you who are deluded! Unlike you, I am boundless since the day I was purged of my innocence, my heart, and my soul."-
"And what makes you boundless?"-
"I can kill without a second thought, while you have trouble distinguishing who should live and who should die!"-
"Don't try to fool me with your mindless propaganda!" Sora aimed his keyblade and unleashed a fire ball. But the general vanished from sight. He appeared behind the Fullmetal Alchemist and the key bearer, standing at the entry way to the chamber.
"Say what you will, key bearer," Saber continued, "But I will forge the philosopher stone. But now that Agrabah is too obvious, I can't afford to use that city anymore, knowing that you'll fondle my plans. I'll just have to deal with one of the coastal cities instead. There are about four other major cities along the coast that are just as heavily populated as Agrabah. Perhaps one of them will suffice."
"Saber, come back here!" But Saber had already slunk back into the darkness, leaving the two in the chamber. Sora prepared to pursue, but realized that Edward was still on his hands and knees sulking and crying. "Get up, Fullmetal. We have to go after him!"
"I can't…" Ed uttered.
"Of course you can. Come on!"-
"Saber was right. I'm no different from him."-
"Edward…"-
"I wanted to find the philosopher stone so badly. But when I found that it could only be forged with the use of human lives, my hopes shattered. If I wanted to get my arm and leg back, and restore my brother's body, it could only be made possible by the use of the stone. But in order to get the stone, a greater sacrifice would have to be made."-
"Edward…"-
"I'm no different, I'm not different!"-
Sora suddenly clutched Edward and wrapped his arms around the boy. Edward was dumbfounded and confused.
"Listen to me, Edward. What Saber said was wrong. If you let him have his way, then he's already won. But we can't have that can we? You are a far better person because you know better than to indiscriminately take human lives. A life in itself is precious and a single life can affect the outcome of history itself. You for example are such a person, just like Riku, Cunla, Cuchulain, and myself. It is our actions that decide our legacies and fame for future generations. But we will be branded as heroes instead of villains because we did all in our power to protect people, not kill them without a second thought. We all have the capacity to kill, but it is our ability to withstand that urge that make us better." Edward began to cry on Sora's shoulder. "Come back to us, Fullmetal." Sora pulled himself away and looked at Ed straight in the eye. "You are still so young. Don't allow yourself to go wrong in your time of strife."
"Thank you, Sora…" Edward replied. Sora hugged the boy again, comforting him. Ed wiped away his tears and smiled.
"Now, what do you say we get back at Saber?"-
"Yeah!" Ed replied.
"Oh and one more thing," Sore quickly ran up the flight of stairs and took the oracle staff.
"What's that for?" Ed asked.
"You can never tell when we might need it." The two scurried off in pursuit of the Blade General.
By this time, however, General Saber had made his way back to the treasure room, only to spot Riku and Cunla sitting next to the now fallen doors of the chamber of wealth.
"Well, well," he uttered to himself. He gazed at the downed key bearer who was severely wounded and on the brink of death. "It looks like Riku received the wrong end of the stick. Scimitar has pinked him good this time. Perhaps it would be beneficial to me if I killed him and the little traitor now." Saber reached for his blade, but did not draw it. Another thought entered his mind. "No, not yet, the time is not right for their demise. There's a much better way for them to suffer."
Saber then laid eyes on the battle between Scimitar and Cuchulain. Even as the battle progressed, it seemed that no side had gained the upper hand against the other. Cuchulain and Scimitar, despite their attacks and cunning, they never once cut each other.
"This fight is getting us nowhere." Cuchulain said.
"But you said you wanted to proceed with this battle to its full extent." Scimitar replied.
"I understand that, but you are hoping to end it as much as I do."-
"So you're saying that we should finish this fight in sudden death? Very well then," Scimitar extended her hands and caused the ring swords to levitate and spin in mid air. The two chakrams began to revolve around her faster and faster until they formed one ring. "If you don't mind, I'll finish you off now, with the power of the Banshee Blade!"
"So be it." Cuchulain extended his spear, holding it at the center of the staff. With one hand, he began to spin it. His fingers maneuvered faster and faster before the Gae Bulga formed into what looked like a buzz saw with a golden edge. "Then I shall defeat you with this attack which I named after my fallen comrade, Ferdia's Bane."
"Prepare yourself, Hound!"-
But before both opponents could unleash their attacks, General Saber appeared before them both.
"That's enough." Saber said. "Stop playing games with this rift raft, Scimitar."
"General Saber." Scimitar uttered.
"Saber…" Cuchulain added.
"You forget," Saber explained, "we have a mission to fulfill."
"Don't stop us now, sir," Scimitar said, "I'm on the verge of bringing a downfall to the Hound for good!"
"You will do as I say." Saber turned to Cuchulain. "Thank you for the entertainment, but we must dash, until next time, Hound of Ulster."
"Not so fast!" Cuchulain shouted. "I'm not going to let you go that easily!"
"You will no better to whom you speak to." Saber drew his finger before him. Suddenly, there was a bright blinding flash of light that forced the Hound to shield his eyes.
"My eyes, my eyes…!" Cuchulain covered his face, preventing the light from further blinding him.
"Father!" Cunla cried, but he too was blinded by the light.
"What it that?" Riku asked. "Where's that light coming from?"
The light penetrated into the treasure room and illuminated the entire chamber, creating an overwhelming flash. Edward and Sora, by this time, reached the treasure room, but were forced to shield their eyes because the strong luminance was too painful to look upon. It was as if they were looking into the sun itself.
"Where is this light coming from?" Ed asked.
"I don't know." Sora replied. He then felt a deep surge of energy coming from outside of the treasure room, a power he was all too familiar with. "Could it be General Saber who's unleashing this light?"
Once the light faded, the KH team members were deprived of their vision. This allowed the two Blade Generals to depart without any opposition. Saber and Scimitar turned towards the exit and withdrew.
"That should hold them off for a while." Saber chuckled.
"What was that light?" Scimitar asked.
"It was an evasion technique. It'll keep the key bearers and their comrades visually impaired for a good few minutes." Saber began to ascend up the stairs.
"But wouldn't it be more beneficial if we killed them now?"-
"I don't intend to kill them."-
"Why not, are you being merciful?"-
"Mercy has nothing to do with my actions, general. I find it to be more invigorating to have them live on knowing that they failed to stop us. Let them linger with their failure. To linger about in shame is even greater than any consequence death can conjure up."-
"I see. Quite a devious mind you have."-
The two generals made their way out, leaving the KH team blind and confused. Cuchulain fell to his knees, trying to open up his eyes, but his eyes still stung from the light. He could sense the energy of his enemies moving further away, but the flash of light somehow diminished his strength, paralyzing him.
"I have to stop them." He uttered.
Edward and Sora were not as affected by the flash, and were able to make it across the treasure room to their comrades. They first came to Riku and Cunla who were blinded by the light's reflective power. Cunla was rolled on his belly covering his head with both arms. Riku had shut his eyes as tightly as he could.
"Riku, Cunla," Sora uttered, as he rushed to their sides, "Are you two okay?"
Cunla popped his head from under his shoulders and looked about. He glanced at Sora, his eyes still trying to focus on the key bearer. As soon as he vision cleared, and the image of Sora came to his eyes, the boy smiled.
"Sora," he uttered, "You made it back."
Riku opened his eyes and saw the image of his comrade sitting next to him.
"Hey, Sora." He uttered. "Were you successful?"
"More or less, we didn't manage to take out Saber."-
"Not surprising, though. That guy's like an eel, he slips right through your fingers. I'm surprise all of us are still alive, especially after having a third encounter with that nutcase. He didn't bother to finish us off."-
"But then again," Cunla implied, "We never actually saw him pass us. He just appeared from out of nowhere, interfering with the fight against Scimitar and my father."
"Where is Cuchulain anyway?" Ed said.
"I think Cuchulain got the worst of the flash." Riku said.
"Father…" Cunla uttered. He rubbed his eyes and peeked over the fallen door. There he saw his father kneeling down, trying to stand. Cunla rushed over to his father's side. "Father, are you alright?"
"My eyes," he uttered, "My eyes, I can't see."
"Keep you're eyes closed for a while." Ed said. "They'll clear up eventually."
It was then that there was a sudden rumble started to rupture. The KH team members fell to their knees, preventing themselves from being falling from the quake.
"What's happening…!" Sora asked. Bits of rubble began to descend from the ceiling, but nothing life threatening. Cunla looked about at what was causing the rumble. But as he gazed at the doorway leading to the surface, he noticed that the steps of the entrance to the cave were diminishing. The warm glow of the staircase was fading and sand began to pour in, filling the mouth of the entry.
"The door," he shouted, "The entry way of the cave! It's collapsing in!"
"It's can't be!" Ed uttered. "They're sealing the doorway!"
The sand rushed in as if all the sand in the desert collapsed from the surface and came roaring into the frontal chamber like a wild beast. Like water, it easily flowed, engulfing and entrapping everything in its path. Like a tidal wave, the sand came at the KH team members.
"It's coming straight for us!" Cunla cried. "We'll be buried alive!"
"Not if I can help it!" Edward shouted. He clapped his hands together and placed them securely on the stone floor. There was an alchemic surge and a large wall of stone appeared before the team members. It rose up in the path of the incoming sand. The sand struck the wall full force, but the barrier did not falter.
On the surface, General Saber and General Scimitar watched as the great tiger head of the guardian collapsed and diminished back into a simple dune of sand. Upon the sand, one of the scarab pieces fell and slid down the done. As it rested upon the desert surface, Saber picked it up. He glanced at it and he glanced at the other piece that he extracted from the tiger head, as if pulling out one eye from its socket.
"That ought to confine those upstarts for a while." Saber chuckled. He placed both halves in different pockets.
"Pulling out one scarab piece did the trick, sir." Scimitar added. "That caused the entire entry to collapse."
"Heaven hope that the sand rushed in and smothered them all." Saber turned to Scimitar. "Speaking of which, how is it that the Fullmetal Alchemist was still alive?" Scimitar knew deep within that this subject would arise. Of course she did not try to deny the presence of the Fullmetal Alchemist in the cave of wonders, knowing that she encountered him as well. She lowered her head for a second or two, before raising it again and standing at attention.
"The KH team aided him when they found him almost dead, sir."-
"That's what Edward told me. The KH team managed to rescue him from certain death at the last minute."-
"I apologize for earlier, sir, not overseeing the final blow being delivered. It was a hasty and undetermined outcome not fully clarified. I will accept any punishment you see fit, sir."-
"But then again, I too am to blame for turning my back completely on other certain separate matters. Not only were there flaws in my conjecture about the KH team trying to take over the mother ship, which they were in no way attempting, they managed to release Winry Rockbell and Alphonse Elric from their confinement, they managed to take down two outposts without my knowing, and Edward Elric even managed to completely destroy the main document page, the original blueprint for forging the philosopher stone with the use of the Grand Arcanum."-
"Sir, I…" Scimitar was shocked.
"Compared to your mistakes for our operations in this world, mine are ten times the consequence. I will have to report this act of incompetence to His Excellency once our operations are finished here."-
"Yes sir."-
"Well, hopefully Fullmetal and the rest of those monotonous thorns are dead this time. But if he does manage to escape from that prison in the sand, then we can still satisfy the other little bastard who wants to fulfill his desire and kill the boy. Let us assume that they are still alive and may attempt a retaliation."-
"Understood," Scimitar looked the dune. "How is it that you knew taking out one scarab piece would reseal the entry way?"-
"One piece cannot sustain the structure of the door to the cave without the other. Once I extracted the opposite piece, the energetic equilibrium could not withstand the shift in its balance and had no other choice, but to collapse, causing the mouth of the cave to crumble. And now, both key bearers and the real threats to our cause are stuck down there, perhaps covered under feet of desert sand."-
"Clever, general, clever indeed."-
"Yes it was." But it was then that Saber picked up a low rumble coming from afar. He looked towards the darkness and saw a flying object heading towards the area they were at. Instantly, he realized who it was that neared them. It was Goofy and Donald in the gummi ship and they were coming to the rescue. "Well, what have we here, the king's little lackeys!"
"They must've come to aid the key bearers."-
"Well, it's too late already. The key bearers are forever embedded within the cave of wonders. And as long as I hold both pieces of the golden scarab, there's no hope for them to escape." Saber drew up his hand and extended it straight and to his side. Energy began to pulsate from his hand, accumulating a misty dark shadow. Then, from out of the night air, a black vortex appeared, a dark gateway leading back to the ship. "Now, shall we return to the ship? We have other pressing matters to attend to. We have a stone to forge, a trinket to obtain, and a sole surviving Homunculus to satisfy."
"Let us depart." Scimitar added. But she realized then that the gummi ship Cunla and Ed used was still present and in tact. "What should we do about that gummi ship still stationed here?"
"Let it be." Saber said. "The KH team is not going to escape from their underground prison any time soon, so I hardly doubt that there's any need for alarm."
"Still…"-
"Believe me, Scimitar, by the time they reach the surface, if they're not dead already, it'll already be too late."-
"I suppose you're right."-
"Now let us be off. Morning will come within the next hour or so."
"Sir…"-
The two walked into the vortex and disappeared into the shadows. The moment after stepping through, the doorway of darkness vanished without a trace, just as Goofy and Donald hovered over head. They looked down, hoping to find the entryway of the cave, but there was nothing. Only the vacant gummi used by Cunla and Edward remained next to the lone sand dune ad the rocky outcrop where the door once resided.
"That's the ship that Cunla and the others used." Donald uttered. "They must have entered the cave too."
"Donald," Goofy fretted, "We're too late, we're too late! The entry way is gone!"
"There seems to be no activity in the gummi. Could it be that they are still in the cave of wonders?"
"How are they gonna get out?"-
"I don't know, but we're heading down there to see if we can rescue them!" Donald lowered the ship, heading towards the lone sand dune. "It's up to us to save them now."
"I hope that nothing bad happened to them or anything." Goofy uttered, saddened at the thought of the worst possible fate of the key bearers. In their minds they thought the worse case scenario happened and the key bearers and the others had been buried alive in a sea of sand unable to be helped by anyone.
However, the sand filled up only one side of the wall quickly and dust fanned everywhere amidst the chaos. The KH team on the other hand was safe behind the opposite side of the wall. As soon as the commotion died out, Cunla wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"That was close." He uttered. "Great work, Ed. You saved us."
"What just happened?" Cuchulain uttered as his vision slowly restored itself.
"We were almost smothered by the sand, but Ed managed to save us."-
"It was a piece of cake for me." Ed said. "But it was cutting it a little close."
"Whoa," Sora uttered, when he saw the wall that was raised, "Did you do that, Ed?"
"I did."-
"Thank goodness you're on our side this time."-
"But it still doesn't change the fact that we're still in here." Riku uttered. "Ask Fullmetal if he can create an opening for us up top."
"Right," Sora turned to Ed again. "Hey Ed, could you make an opening and help us out of here?"
"No problem!" Ed replied. "I'll just create a hole in the roof!" He looked up to the ceiling made of rock and stone. Again he clapped and placed his palms securely on one of the pillars. The manipulative alchemic reaction forced the rock to form large hole up top.
At the same time on the surface, Goofy and Donald landed the gummi next to the ship Cunla and Edward had operated and rushed out on the lone dune to search for their comrades.
"How are we gonna open the cave again?" Goofy asked. "They're still down there, they have to be."
"Start digging, Goofy." Donald replied. But as he started to clear away sand, hoping to find some form of entry way to the cave, the sand started to give way beneath their feet as if trying to swallow them. Goofy and Donald panicked as they saw the sane suddenly come to life and begin to such them into the ground.
"The sand is alive!" Goofy cried, "It's trying to eat us!"
"No you idiot," Donald replied, "This has to be quick sand!" The two were sucked down into the sand, but found themselves falling in mid air after that. Both were screaming their lungs out as they descended. Little did they realize that they had fallen through the hole created by Fullmetal.
The KH team members heard their screaming and immediately looked up.
"What's that?" Ed uttered.
"It's a bird!" Cunla cried.
"It's a plane!" Sora added.
"No," Cuchulain uttered as he looked up, his vision fully restored, "It's a bird and a dog. It's Goofy and Donald."
"A birddog," Sora began to snicker, "That's a good one."
They watched as the two fell faster and faster until they landed right on their heads. Birds and stars hovered around their heads while spirals too the place of their eyes for a time.
"Ouch," Donald shouted, rubbing a large lump on his head, "That hurt."
"I hear bells…" Goofy mumbled mindlessly.
"Jingle bells?"-
"Cow bells…"-
"Let's try for jingle bells." Donald smack Goofy at the back of his head, despite there being more than two throbbing lumps already.
"You're right. I hear them now, jingle bells!"-
"Are you two alright?" Ed asked.
"What just happened?" Donald asked. "How did we get down here? I thought we were being sucked down by quicksand."
"No, it was just the sand coming through the hole I made."-
"So you're the one I have to thank for putting this lump on my head!" Donald started to fuss and quarrel with Fullmetal.
"Now, now, just calm down."-
"Don't tell me to calm down, shorty!" That was the final insult which triggered Ed's temper.
"What did you just call me?" Ed got Donald into a wrestler's grip, bending him like a pretzel. "You of all people shouldn't be calling me short!"
"Alright, alright, I give up! Uncle! Uncle!"-
"You see Donald, Ed really finds it offensive if you say something sarcastic about his height." Cunla mentioned.
"But how did ya manage to make a hole all the way up there?" Goofy asked as he looked up at the large opening in the cave's top, portraying the night sky.
"It was a cinch for the Fullmetal Alchemist." Ed said as he released Donald.
"Man I thought my back was gonna break!" Donald grumbled.
"Goofy," Cunla said, "You better help Riku and Sora. They've been wounded."
"Okay," Goofy replied. He ran over to where Riku and Sora were. He took off his hat and got the bag of senzu beans. He took out one bean and broke it in half. He then gave both halves to the key bearers. "Here ya go, you two."
"Thanks Goofy," Sora uttered. "You saved out lives."
"Talk about good timing." Riku added. They stuck the bean halves in their mouths, chewed and swallowed. Within seconds, the key bearers were back on their feet. "Thank goodness for the senzu beans."
"Too bad Curaga doesn't work on physical wounds. It only works on wounds inflicted by the dark element."-
"Well, now that we're back in action and have a way out, let's get out of here, while we still can."-
"We have to go after Saber." Ed said. "He's going to use the Grand Arcanum on one of the nearby cities to forge the philosopher's stone."
"Wait a minute!" Sora interrupted. "Saber still has to retrieve the Hand of Midas first!"
"Hand of Midas? What the heck's the hand of Midas?"-
"Well, I'd like to know what that thing is you're holding, Sora." Cunla asked as he spotted the oracle scepter clutched in his hand. "Is that a souvenir or something?"
"Well, not exactly."-
"Is that the oracle scepter?" Riku asked.
"Yes it is."-
"What the heck's an oracle scepter?" Donald asked.
"More likely, what does it do?" Ed added.
"And what's this Philosopher stone you were talking about earlier."-
"Never mind that, where the heck were you guys all this time?"-
"Well, I'd like to know if you managed to take out that convoy and prevent the gold from being shipped back to the mother ship." Sora wondered.
"Did you manage to destroy the carriers with the gold?" Riku asked.
"I asked a question first!" Donald said.
"No, I was the first one to ask a question." Ed protested.
"Now, now," Goofy uttered, trying to keep everything in order. But the topics were flying about amongst the team as each person wanted their question answered first, or wanted to explain the situation they were in first. Their voices turned to mindless bickering as one member tried to overrule the other. This arguing was starting to wear on the Hound's nerves.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute," he shouted. The other's stopped their arguing, "One thing at a time. I keep hearing all these things about the convoy, the Grand Arcanum, the philosopher stone, the hand of Midas, the oracle scepter, and you're all trying to get your points first while they're still fresh in your minds! But this constant chattering is getting us nowhere! Let's take it one subject at a time and explain the stages at a general and hasty pace." He turned to Edward. "First thing's first! Ed, you start us off. Tell us what's been going on. Explain the philosopher stone and the Grand Arcanum."
"Alright…" he uttered.
In Agrabah, Ophelia Billiard and Aladdin, along with the other members of the accompanying party, made a successful withdrawal back to the palace. The ship made a steady descent over the front grounds of the palace. Even before the ship could successfully touch the ground, just a foot or so, Aladdin didn't wait. He opened up the hatch to the gummi and jumped out. He rushed up the stair case of the palace.
"Jasmine," he cried, "Jasmine, where are you! Answer me, Jasmine!" Aladdin reached the main hall and looked about. Razoul and the other guards were aiding those who were still alive in the palace.
"Aladdin," Razoul uttered, as he saw him rush in.
"Razoul, where's Jasmine and the Sultan."-
"Hold it right their, street rat!" The guards suddenly pulled their blades on Aladdin.
"What are you doing! We don't have time for this!"-
"Don't give us that!" Razoul shouted. "You were the one who tried to overthrow the Sultan!"
"What do you mean overthrow the sultan? I would never do such a thing!"-
"Then tell that to the men who saw you and your friends slaughter their comrades! Now tell us, where is the Sultan and Princess Jasmine!"-
"What are you talking about! They're not here!"-
"That's right! And you were the one who kidnapped them!"-
"Kidnapped!" Aladdin uttered. "They've been kidnapped!"
"Don't play dumb with me, street rat!" Razoul raved on. "I know that you planned this from the start, hoping to gain favor with the Sultan so that you could take over when the time was right!"
"I didn't do anything or plan anything like that! We've been gone the whole time!"-
"Don't you dare lie to me!" Razoul turned to his men. "Keep your blades on the street rat! The rest of you arrest his friends!"
"Who says!" a voice shouted. The guards looked to find Colonel Billiard and the rest of the KH team standing behind her.
"It's the traitors!" one of the guards shouted.
"Traitors, are you talking about us!" Iago squawked as he saw the guards coming towards them with drawn weapons. "What's going on here?"
"You have it all wrong!" Genie said.
"I'm innocent, I'm innocent!" Iago realized the words that came out of his mouth. "Did I say that? Did I say that? It's the first time I didn't do something and even I wouldn't believe me!" As the guards neared, Iago panicked and flew behind Genie again. Abu, not willing to risk a confrontation with the palace soldiers followed Iago and hid behind Genie too."
"Have them arrested!" Razoul instructed. But before the soldiers could turn to apprehend the KH team, Ophelia drew out her black battle fans and made ready to fight.
"I don't know why you're acting in this manner," she uttered, "And I don't much care! If you dare to stand against us, I will not hesitate to kill you all!"
"There's no need for that Miss Billiard!" Aladdin shouted.
"Tell that to these men."-
But just then, the marble floor suddenly came to life as arms and hands appeared and grabbed the guards, confining them in their places. The other guards still free were stunned at what occurred.
"That was close." Alphonse said. Ophelia looked to see the armor kneeling down before a transmutation circle.
"You're an alchemist too?" she asked.
"That's right. Me and my brother practiced alchemy together."-
"Well done, young Alphonse."-
"Ah, it was nothing really." His head turned bullet as Alphonse rubbed the back of his helmet sheepishly blushing.
"The metal one!" one of the palace guards uttered. "He's a sorcerer!"
"Don't fear men," Razoul shouted. "We shall vanquish this metal foe!"
But no sooner had the guards turned their attentions on the KH team, a sudden roar rumbled from one of the palace corridors. From out of the darkness, Rajah appeared, limping slightly, not wanting to strain her injured paw. The tigress came before the guards, growling and roaring and bearing her fangs. She hovered around Aladdin, acting as a barrier between the guards and Jasmine's husband.
"Rajah…" Aladdin said.
"You fool tiger!" Razoul shouted. "Why are you growling at us! We're trying to apprehend these traitors." But the Tigress continued to roar, pawing at the guards if they came too close to Aladdin. "Fine, fine, we won't hurt him!" Razoul raised his hand, giving the signal for his men to lower their weapons.
"Thanks Rajah…" Aladdin uttered.
"Are you okay, Al?" Genie asked.
"I'm fine!"-
"Stand down, you men!" Ophelia ordered. Her booming voice caused the guards to jump and they lowered their arms.
"Rajah," Aladdin uttered, observing the tigress's wounded paw, "Are you alright? What happened?" Rajah claimed down and lowered her ears in humbleness, whimpering slightly. Aladdin padded her on the head. "Rajah, where's Jasmine and the Sultan."
"They were taken…" a wounded soldier said, "Taken by you supposedly."
"By us…? But we were out the whole time as I said. Even you saw us leave, Razoul."-
"Well, I…" Razoul mumbled.
"They weren't you though." The soldier said. "I saw it with my own eyes."
"When was this?" Miss Billiard asked.
"We thought it was you at first. I thought you had betrayed us for some reason unknown to us. I played dead in case the intruders got suspicious. But when I saw them drag the princess out, she was hollering out loud, saying that the intruder was not her real husband."
"Not her real husband?"-
"And then, suddenly they all turned into zombies, or mummies, things that were dead, but were not dead."-
"They must've been those creatures we fought off before. They can take on any shape they please."-
"But not all of them looked like dried mummies. The leader did not have the distinct features of a mummy. He looked as if he were still alive. He was pale as alabaster with raven black eyes and dark hair streaming down like dagger points. He wore black clothing. A garment that covered only his upper body, not including the arms, and he wore what looked like a loin cloth or something."-
"What was that?" Alphonse asked. "This person, how old did he look?"
"No older than sixteen I think."-
"Did you happen to catch his name? Did he mention it anytime that he was here?"-
"I believe he addressed himself as Envy."-
"Oh my God…" Alphonse grew silent, as if the name itself struck his heart, a heart that wasn't there.
"Do you know this Envy?" Ophelia asked.
"I do, he's a Homunculus."-
"Are you serious?" Winry uttered.
"A Homunculus…?" Aladdin asked. "What's a homunculus?"
"Whatever it is, it sounds bad!" Iago bickered. "I don't want to know what it is and I'm not willing to find out!"
"A Homunculus is born when someone tries to revive a deceased person with alchemy." Alphonse explained. "They obtain super human strength and never age. They're considered immortal to some because they can't die, or so it seems they can't die. Envy's special talent is his ability to transform into anyone he wishes. That's the reason why it looked like Aladdin was kidnapping the princess and the sultan. It was actually Envy disguised at him."
"He must've been the one who wounded Rajah then." Aladdin said. He turned to the soldier. "Was there anything else that happened?"
"The enemy cleaned out the sultan's treasure vault as well." The soldier replied. "Not a single coin was left to bear. Also, this Envy you speak of, he had a conversation with this man dressed in black and blue garments. The funny thing was his form was made out of sand, out of dark black sand.
"Dark black sand," Aladdin uttered, "did you just say dark black sand?"
"Yes sir."-
"Does the sand have something to do with it?" Ophelia asked
"Yes, only one man could be responsible for this." Aladdin replied.
"Who?"-
"He goes by the name of Mozenrath, the lord of the black sands."-
"Mozenrath," Alphonse asked, "Who is he? Do you know him?"
"I've never actually met Mozenrath personally, but I know that he's a powerful sorcerer who's always looking for way to dominate the world. Now, he's never tried anything, but he certainly is a fanatic when it comes to craving magic items."-
"Then he must be after the philosopher stone too. That's why he sided with the faction. He might be the one to use the Grand Arcanum."-
"We have to hurry and find this Mozenrath and General Saber before they execute their plans." Ophelia said. She turned to Aladdin. "I'm heading out to meet up with Sora and the others. I want the rest of you to stay here. Try and get the civilians evacuated out of the city. If Agrabah is targeted for the Grand Arcanum, then we best get every single person out of as soon as possible." She looked at Razoul. "Does this palace have a secret escape way?"
"Why should I tell you?" Razoul said in that high and mighty manner. Ophelia had enough of the captain's sarcastic attitude. She grabbed hold of him by the collar and slammed him against the way. She drew out her dagger and held it at his throat.
"Damn it, I'm really getting tired of your smart remarks!" she roared. "Does this palace have a rear escape route out of the city or not!"
"Yes…" Razoul uttered, in a terrified manner. "It's down in the wine cellar."
"Thank you!" She released him and turned to Aladdin. "Alright Aladdin, I want you to take charge and guide the people out of Agrabah. Use the secret passage from the palace. And do it quietly. We don't want any faction spies to figure out that we've caught on."
"I understand."-
"Good," she then looked at Razoul. "And as for you, if I here that you've been causing trouble for Aladdin and the other members of the KH team, I'm gonna track you down and gut you like stocked pig, you understand!"-
"Yes ma'am…" Razoul uttered.
"I've got to go."-
"Do you want me to go with you?" Alphonse asked.
"I need you here."-
"But…"-
"You're the only skilled alchemist here. I need you to take care of things in case the enemy tries to use alchemy as well."-
"Alright…" Alphonse backed off.
"Then let me go instead!" Winry said.
"No Winry, you can't go. It'll be dangerous. And my brother would kill me if he found out that I let you go and allow you to get hurt."-
"Alphonse is right, Miss Rockbell." Ophelia said. "You'll be entering dangerous territory."
"I'm more worried about Edward breaking his automail arm again! But if I'm there to help, then maybe I'll be able to repair his arm, jerry rig it if necessary."-
"But Winry…" Alphonse said.
"Very well, Miss Winry," Ophelia said, "You come with me. The rest of you stick to the plan and try not to attract attention to yourselves."
"Right," they all replied.
"Let's get going!"-
"I'm right behind you." The two girls rushed out back to the gummi ship, leaving Aladdin and the others in charge of the evacuation.
"Alright, you guys," Aladdin said, "Let's get busy. Genie, I want you to start spreading the word. Alphonse and I will open up the escape route and Razoul, order your soldiers to begin escorting people out of the city. Tell them to bring only their necessities."
"Of course," Razoul replied, grumbling silently behind his tongue. He turned to the guards. "Alright, you men get out there and make sure that none of the sultan's subjects are left behind."
"Yes sir!" the soldiers replied and went about their business.
In the meantime, Winry and Ophelia buckled themselves into the gummi ship.
"I can't believe we're going in this flying contraption again." Winry uttered.
"It's the fastest way to get to Riku and the others, dear." Ophelia replied. "Hold on tight because we're in for a bumpy ride."
"Great…" Winry huffed and sighed, showing little enthusiasm for the ride.
"And one more thing, Miss Rockbell. Are you familiar with handling a turret gun?"-
"No really…"-
"Well, you better start learning how to maneuver it because after all the disturbances we've caused with the faction, we might encounter a little resistance in mid air."-
"Oh no…"-
The gummi rockets ignited and the little ship flew into the night sky, heading towards the area where Riku, Sora, and the others resided.
At the same time as Riku and Sora heard the information gathered from their friends within the cave and Aladdin and the others met false accusations by the palace guard, General Scimitar and General Saber had returned successfully to the faction destroyer. General Saber opened the door to his quarters and walked in.
"So," he said, as he went to is liquor cupboard and poured himself a cup of brandy, "All four filled transports made it back safely, despite the efforts of the KH team trying to destroy them."
"That's what the clerk said when he categorized the merchandise." Scimitar said.
"And what damage was suffered by our convoy?"-
"Estimated, out of the twenty transports, eleven were either severely maimed or destroyed altogether."-
"And the gatlers…?"-
"Out of the five, only two managed to return safely. But even of the two, one had run out of electromagnetic shells while the other had lost the front of its gun barrel. All would have been lost indeed if it weren't for the fact that the convoy was within range of the mother ship's outer defense system. That forced the KH gummi to withdraw."-
"Such a price we have to pay for the prosperity of the faction." Saber sipped his bauble and placed it on the desk.
"And what of the issue regarding the forging of the Philosopher stone with the use of the Grand Arcanum…?" Scimitar asked.
"We will continue with our present plans." Saber continued. "Agrabah is still our intended target."
"But I thought you said that the KH team was already wise to our attempts of creating the stone with the populous of that city?"-
"I understand that, but the obliteration of Agrabah's population, for that matter the destruction of the city in its entirety, has more meaning than just the forging of the philosopher stone itself."-
"In what way?"-
"That city has played a significant role in the history of the key bearers and the KH team. His Excellency, Lord Sirius Viicous wants all traces of the key bearers' existence to vanish without a trace. That means eliminating all those who had come into contact or were in some way affected by Riku and Sora. And what better way to rid such a legacy than by destroying the place where they resided and battled?"-
"I see."-
The doors suddenly opened and Lord Mozenrath along with his servant Xerxes appeared. He bowed respectfully to the generals.
"Ah, Lord Mozenrath," Saber approached the young sorcerer, "Just the man that I wanted to see."
"All preparations have been made, sir." Mozenrath replied.
"Excellent."-
"When would you like me to commence with the operation."-
"Initiate the operation as soon as you can, at this very minute if it's possible for you. The sooner we create the stone, the less we have to worry about the KH team intervening. Make sure to initiate the creation of the stone in secrecy. But it's most likely that the remaining KH team members might have caught on to our plans, so use your mumluks to surround the city and prevent anyone from leaving. The last thing we need is for the main ingredient of the stone to go sneaking away from the city like wandering night weasels."-
"I will do as you command." Mozenrath said.
"Once the philosopher stone is forged," Saber concluded, "And once we are finished with using it, then you will be given full benefit of the elixir's power."
"You are too kind, general."-
"Too kind, too kind," Xerxes said."
"Then be of with you." Saber said. "I expect success from you, my lord."
Mozenrath bowed respectfully and withdrew from the room.
"I still can't believe you're actually going to share our labors with that cocky upstart." Scimitar uttered.
"He is doing us a great favor, general." Saber said. "He is not only an ambitious young sorcerer and a powerful one at that, but he excels in the practice of alchemy. Thus his talents have come into good use. He's not like Edward Elric who refused to do anything we asked. He's not working under threat of anything. So you should be glad that Mozenrath is openly willing to aid us."
"I'm just not comfortable with you giving him so much freedom and trust. You are more likely to be bitten by an asp if you bear your hand to close to its fangs."-
"As the asp is quick, it must beware the fangs of the mongoose, which are swifter and strike harder. Of course we will give him the philosopher stone. That is unless he meets with an unfortunate accident." Saber took one gulp and swallowed his brandy in one shot. "You should know by now that all of our informants are expendable. Once we've successfully finished our operations, our only trifle will be dispensing with the witnesses. They will all eventually meet their demise one way or the other. His Excellency cannot have such upstart antagonists fondling his plan."
"I see."-
"I want you to assemble a full company of men and have them divided into four units of twenty five individuals. Have them sent to the four cities along the Arabian coast."-
"What for?" Scimitar asked.
"The KH team already knows of our plans for the philosopher stone, but they still can't guarantee that we'll use Agrabah as our target. Knowing Billiard and Cunla, that is if possible the boy's still alive, he and the Tiger of Goth being former faction officers and all, they will do all that they can to counter our plot. They'll hypothesize on whether we might stay with Agrabah, or shift somewhere else to prevent possible intervention. But if they know better, they will keep their eyes on one of the coastal cities and hope that we may strike there instead."-
"And if they do catch on that we are going nowhere from Agrabah?"-
"Even if the operation for forging the philosopher stone does fail, we still have the hand of Midas to make up for it. If we can acquire at least one of them, then that will successfully complete our operations here. However, if we manage to get both of them, that would be an even greater victory for the faction. Whether it's one or the other, it doesn't matter as long as we don't leave without either of them." The two general exited Saber's quarters "You know your mission correct?"
"I will inform our forces at once."-
But suddenly, as the two generals entered the hall, the booming sound of an angry voice could be heard approaching them.
"Saber," the voice bellowed, "Hold it right there!"
The two generals looked to find none other than Envy approaching them.
"Oh dear," Saber uttered, "Hohenheim's forgotten little bastard makes his appearance."
"I have a bone to pick with you, Saber!" Envy shouted, storming up to the general.
"Mind who you're talking to boy!" Scimitar demanded.
"You stay out of this, woman! This is none of your concern! This is strictly between me and the good general!"-
"Why you little…!"-
"That's quite alright, Scimitar." Saber said. "The boy wishes to have a word with me, so let him have his say." He turned to the Homunculus. "Now what is it that brings you to me in such an uproar?"
"What is this that I hear about you assigning me another mission!"-
"You heard correct, Envy. You have one last assignment to fulfill."-
"I don't want to fulfill anymore of your assignments! You promised me that you would let me deal with the Fullmetal pipsqueak personally! But now my patience grows thin because of this new mission you want me to accomplish! I want to kill that bastard's son now! But now I'm hearing rumors saying that you already had Elric killed!"-
"Did I, when was that?"-
"Don't play dumb with me! I heard about your little incident in the cave of wonders! Word has it that you sealed Fullmetal in there, hoping that the sand would rush in and suffocate him!"-
"I found it an opportune moment to get rid of the entire KH team, or at least the half most effective that's all. But knowing them, they don't die that easily. So there is a chance that Fullmetal might have survived."-
"You bastard, you wanted him dead from the start!"-
"And what would that mean to you?"-
"Are you saying that you would have killed him despite my urge, despite my opposition!"-
"Of course, now if you don't mind, I have other matters to attend to." Saber turned his back on Envy, which was the final insult.
"Stop right there, Saber!" Envy shouted. "I'm not finished yet!" But Saber did not heed the boy's words. "Don't you dare turn your back on me!"
"I believe you have that backwards, boy. Perhaps you shouldn't turn your back on me." Envy rushed in and grabbed Saber by the collar, forcing him around.
"You gave me your word and yet now you back out on it!"-
"Careful boy," Saber released himself from Envy's grasp and straightened out the front of his red frock, "This uniform cost more than your own existence." Saber turned towards Envy again. "Since you're so determined to know why I killed Edward Elric prematurely, I'll tell you. I found an open opportunity to be rid of the key bearers once and for all and yet for some reason, Fullmetal was amongst their group. Did you really expect me to just lure Fullmetal out and have him isolated from the rest of his comrades for your sake alone? I'm dealing with a group that has been cankerous to the faction from the start. Already, many of our key strategic areas have been lost because of the key bearers continuing to freely frolic from one world to the other. And when I find a moment to dispense with them for good, you think I'm going to wait for your permission? I think not." Saber turned his back again on Envy. "Of course knowing the key bearers, they found some way to survive and will be back in action before we could take our first breath of relief. And without a doubt, Fullmetal will be amongst them as well." Saber began to walk away.
"That's beside the point! You went back on your word! And yet now you intend to have me continue to operate under you with the only hope that Fullmetal is still alive as your promise! He could already be dead as far as I know!"-
"Then that's your problem not mine."-
"But it's your problem too, because you if you don't have anything to assure my loyalty, then there's no need for me to be playing nice with you any longer!" Envy suddenly rushed at Saber from behind. But before his could even raise a hand, Scimitar rushed in, deploying one of her chakrams and cut the boy across the throat. Envy fell to the ground with his throat cut wide open and blood spilling from the open wound. He twitched on the corridor floor.
"Takes care of that upstart," Scimitar said. "There was no need for him anymore anyway." But suddenly, Envy arose again as if nothing had happened. The slash on his neck suddenly vanished and he was back on his feet. Scimitar was shocked.
"Now that wasn't very nice." Envy chuckled.
"It can't be. I cut you across your throat, you can't still be alive."-
"Well apparently I am."-
"Save your energy, Scimitar." Saber said. "A homunculus can't die that easily. In fact, with the use of ordinary weapons, they're virtually immortal." Saber turned towards Envy. "In order to defeat a homunculus, you have to know how to kill them first."
"Ha, there's no way that you can kill me!" Envy chuckled. He began to rush at Saber. "I'll teach you for going back on your word!"
But before Envy could even lay a hand on him, Saber drew up the sword at his side, revealing only an inch or two of the base. But that was enough to suddenly stop Envy in his tracks. The blade of the sword began to glow profusely, the light slightly blinding. For some reason, Envy was paralyzed. His body had ceased to function. He could not withdraw nor withstand the power behind the sword's light.
"What is this power?" He uttered. "What is this feeling I have?"
"It's called helplessness." Saber said. "It's a sensation that many Homunculi usually don't feel in the full course their lives. In fact, this may be the first time since your birth that you actually felt like this isn't it? That's because this is no ordinary saber."
"What…what kind of weapon is this?"-
"The sword I wield is the key that all Homunculi should fear. This saber guarantees your demise. If you are cut from this sword, you will lose all of your power and will become mortal. In other words, this sword was forged specifically to deal with your kind."-
"It can't be…" Envy fell to the ground, his body feeling heavy and full of pain as the light shined upon him. "That…that weapon only exists in legend…"
"Oh no, I'm afraid you're wrong, my young friend. If you exist, then it is possible for this sword to exist. And since you are familiar with its mythical status, then you know its power and what it's capable of doing." Saber drew his sword back into the scabbard, extinguishing the light. Envy lay on the ground, gasping and sweating. He had never felt fear before, but now after being exposed to the light of the sword, he was more frightened than before. Saber turned away. "We're going to retrieve the hand of Midas and you will be coming with us. If the key bearers did survive, they will be trying to counter our efforts. And if they do appear, Fullmetal will be there as well. You will have your revenge then. Now go."
Envy arose to his feet and sneered, but dared not assault the general again. Instead he withdrew from the corridor altogether not saying another word.
"We've lost too much time with that little bastard." Saber said. "He's been nothing, but a nuisance up to this point." He turned and walked down the opposite way of the corridor. Scimitar soon followed.
"You will make sure to dispense with him too." Scimitar said.
"All those who are not members of the faction will be eliminated. But we can't delay any further than we already have. We have a tight schedule to keep, general. And we can't waste it on complaints from mere boys."-
Just then, a messenger appeared in the corridor, bearing a letter. He presented himself before the generals and saluted.
"General Saber, sir," he said, handing the letter "Word from His Excellency, Lord Sirius Viicous."
"Thank you," Saber replied. He took the letter and opened it. He browsed the letter's contents. His eyes suddenly opened wide, struck with emotion. A smirk appeared on his face followed by a slight chuckle.
"Is it good news?" Scimitar asked.
"Well, well," Saber gave the letter of Scimitar, "This changes everything then." Scimitar browsed the letter. She too had the same reaction.
"General, is this…?-
"I'm just as surprised as you, Scimitar. But we shall keep this to ourselves for the time being. No one else must know about it. Now shall we continue with our operations here?"-
"Of course, sir."-
The two Blade Generals continued on their way. Whatever the letter held, it struck them with a new burst of confidence.
The situation was clear now, the facts were straight, and all members of the KH team were aware of the situation at hand.
"So everything's explained then." Cuchulain said. "The faction is after both the philosopher stone and hand of Midas. The philosopher stone, if forged, will cost thousands of lives. And since we know of the faction's plan to possibly use Agrabah as a conductor, it'll most likely that the faction may turn their attention towards another large settlement along the coast. Then there's the hand of Midas which will allow the faction to transform everything into gold. And the way to figure out where this hand of Midas is, we have to use that oracle scepter, correct?"
"That's right." Sora said.
"At the same time, Goofy and Donald had to withdraw from destroying the excavation transports because they were too near the faction's mother ship and its outer defenses."-
"We managed to destroy eleven altogether," Donald implied, "But none of them carried any gold."
"Well, we did arrive at an unexpected time." Riku said. "I'm sure the faction hastily withdrew."
"So we have two significant tasks to fulfill, gentlemen." Cuchulain continued. "We have to stop the faction from forging the philosopher stone and retrieving the hand of Midas. Unfortunately, we have no idea of where or when Saber and his comrades will initiate their plan. We have no idea what city they will use to create the stone and we have no idea where this hand of Midas is located."
"I know." Sora said. He lifted the scepter up before the group. "Let's ask the oracle to tell us what we want to know."
"Alright," Ed said, "Let's summon this oracle out then." Sora pointed the scepter outward towards the empty darkness of the frontal chamber.
"Come forth oracle and let us hear your wisdom!"-
Suddenly, the emerald jewel atop the scepter began to glow brightly. From that glow, a beam of light bellowed forth and the form of a woman appeared before the KH team. An eloquent and beautiful woman that they ever laid eyes upon.
"Wow," Cunla uttered in awe, "Look at that."
"Pretty…" Goofy said.
"That must be the oracle." Cuchulain said.
"I am the spirit of the scepter." She replied. "I am the all knowing oracle, the all seeing spirit. I will answer whatever question you ask me, but mind you I will only answer one."
"Only one question…?" Ed asked. "Each…?"
"I guess so." Riku replied. "There's only one way to find out."
"Well, what should we ask her?"-
"Let me go first." Sora said. He turned to the oracle who awaited a response. "Where can we find General Saber?"
"General Saber searches for the hand of Midas off the coast." The oracle replied.
"And where can we find the hand of Midas?" Riku asked, delivering his question.
"Go to the coast where the land extends its one finger where the ocean turns white. There, the fingernail of night and the morning star coincide together. When the sun peeks over the east, making night into day, the resting place of the hand of Midas will appear upon an island that never emerges in the same place twice. It lies in the temple where the hovering palm resides."
"What does that mean?" Sora asked.
"It means that an island will appear off of the coast, giving location to the resting place of the hand of Midas." Cuchulain said.
"But what's with all this stuff about a fingernail and a finger where oceans turn white?"-
"The finger must regard to some kind of geographical feature like a headland or something. And the fingernail in the sky refers to the crescent moon."-
"Then if that's where Saber is headed," Riku implied, "Let's go after him."
"Wait a minute," Edward said, "What about the philosopher stone? We have to find out where they intend to create it." Edward stepped up to the oracle. "Do you know where they will forge the philosopher stone?"
"The philosopher stone is what you seek." The oracle replied. "Look to the great city in the east, the jewel of the desert, where the towering palace stands like a guardian over the settlement. There, the master of the black sands waits to do the bidding of the raven hair."-
"Master of the black sands? She must be talking about that guy, Mozenrath."-
"Mozenrath…?" Cunla asked. "Are you talking about the man Genie mentioned?"
"That's him alright. He's also happens to be one of the guys with General Saber. He wears this black and blue entourage like he was a local of this world and he's always being accompanied by this floating eel."-
"Hold on," Sora said, "Did this guy happen to be pale as alabaster, or a ghost?"
"Yeah, but how did you know?"-
"Then Mozenrath must've been the guy we saw when the faction was leaving the cave."-
"Without a doubt," Riku added.
"Do you know about this Mozenrath too?" Cuchulain asked.
"Only in appearance, but we don't know what his role in all of this is." Riku turned to Edward. "What do you know about this guy?"
"I know that he's a sorcerer of some sort." Ed replied. "That proves it then. Being a sorcerer, he must know about the fundamentals of alchemy."
"If he's a sorcerer," Cunla added, "Then he must have also been responsible for unleashing those creatures of the dead that attacked the palace before, those mummy guys."
"That's why Saber hired him. It's because he knows how to perform alchemy. He needed someone who was power hungry, ambitious, and would do anything to achieve a new strength."-
"Well whatever his reason," Cuchulain said, "we know now that they still plan on targeting Agrabah. I guess Saber was planning a reversal when he tried to persuade us when he would attack one of the costal cities. But it stands to reasons, Agrabah is the most significant city in this world, not only for the region, but for us as well."
"What do you mean?" Sora asked.
"That city has played a significant part in your lives correct?"-
"That's right."-
"That's why Saber is targeting that city. Not only will he gain the stone, but he will also wipe out a crucial link to your legacy and the legacy of the keyblades."-
"We have to get out of here to warn the others and tell them of our confirmation." Donald said.
"Then let's move!" Riku said. He turned to carpet, who was sitting patiently on the ground. "Carpet, take Goofy, Donald, and Fullmetal; and Sora, you use the nimbus to carry Cunla and Cuchulain back to the surface."
"What about you, Riku?" Sora asked.
"Don't worry about me. I have my own ways of transportation." Riku unleashed his keyblade and deployed the whiff spell. Whiff appeared and transformed into the great black wings, which attached themselves to the key bearer's back.
"Whoa…!" the others said in awe at the sight of the magnificent wings.
"Show off…" Sora grumbled.
"Let's go." Riku said.
"Okay," Sora looked upon the face of the oracle. "Thank you for you help, Miss."
"Farewell," the oracle said. With that, her light and form diminished from sight. Sora lay down the scepter and drew up his keyblade.
"Let's get going!" he declared. There was a bright flash of light and from that light, the little Nimbus cloud appeared. "Hop on you two!"
Cuchulain and Cunla jumped up and landed safely on the cloud's top. At the same time, Carpet swooped down and allowed Donald, Goofy, and Fullmetal to board. With Sora and the Nimbus taking the lead, the team flew out of the alchemic hole at the cave's ceiling. Once reaching the surface, they landed upon the soft sands.
"There are the gummi ships." Donald said. "Let's hurry up and board it, so we can help the others."
But no sooner had they spotted the two gummies, they noticed a flying object heading their way. From out of the darkness, a large alloy body appeared from the darkness of the desert.
"Something's headed our way." Sora shouted. But as the object drew closer, the team came to realize that what approached them was not at all threatening. It was in fact the third gummi ship bearing Winry and Ophelia.
"It's our third party!" Cunla said.
"Hey," Goofy hollered, waving his hands, trying to signal. "Hey, over here!"
Winry and Ophelia looked to find the party of lost boys signaling them to land.
"There they are." Ophelia said. "The boys are alright."
"And it looks like none of them got hurt." Winry added. Ophelia then happened to glance at Riku with his giant black wings.
"Well, look at that. It looks like Riku got a new set of wings. Incredible…"-
"Hey you guys!" Sora shouted. Miss Billiard picked up the intercom and switched to the loud speaker so that the others could hear her.
"Riku, Sora," Ophelia announced on the exterior loud speaker, "I see you guys managed to get out in one piece."
"Touch down and we'll fill you in on what's been going on." Riku said.
"Roger that!"-
The gummi began to descend with the others. As they touched the ground and disengaged the gummi's system, the two young ladies rushed out the meet the others.
"Edward," Winry cried, being the first to emerge from the ship.
"Winry," Ed said, "You're here too?" The two met up and embraced. After pulling away, Edward looked in to the eyes of his life long friend. "We don't have much time left. We have to get going."
"Oh…?"-
"It's confirmed," Sora said, "The faction is planning to use Agrabah for the philosopher stone."
"Are you sure?" Ophelia asked.
"There's no doubt about it." Riku added, as his wings diminished, "The oracle told us where the stone would be forged. The one who'll perform it is a guy named Mozenrath."
"Well, then there's nothing to worry about." The team looked at her puzzled. "What do you mean there's nothing to worry about?"-
"We figured that they would target Agrabah. That's why we took the liberty of evacuating the civilians out of the city."-
"Really…?"-
"That's right. And now that you told us that it's Mozenrath who'll do the alchemy, we'll know who to lookout for, a guy dressed in black and blue garments."-
"You know about Mozenrath too?" Ed asked.
"We knew." Winry replied. "We also have bad news for you."
"What's that?" Sora wondered. There was an awkward pause between the girls and the boys before Ophelia picked up the conversation again.
"Jasmine and the sultan have been kidnapped by the faction." She uttered.
"What…!" The team gasped.
"They've been kidnapped?" Cunla uttered.
"I'm afraid so." The colonel reassured. "They were kidnapped by Mozenrath's soldiers and their leader."
"Their leader…?"-
"Yes… His name is…" Ophelia paused and then looked at Winry. "Perhaps you better tell them."
"Right…" Winry replied. She looked at Ed, a sad and worried look on her face. "Edward, I have more bad news for you."
"What is it?" Ed asked.
"The leader of the group that kidnapped the princess and the sultan was…" she paused for a minute or two, clearing her throat. "It was Envy…"
Immediately after hearing that name, Edward's expression changed. His eyes grew large with fear.
"It can't be…" he uttered. "It can't be…"-
"I'm afraid so…"-
"But what would Envy be doing here?"-
"I don't know. All I know is that it has to be him. The way the guards described his appearance is identical to what you mentioned before, a Homunculus who can morph into anyone."-
"It's the philosopher stone he's after. It has to be…"-
"Who's this Envy we you speak of?" Cuchulain asked.
"He's a Homunculus…"-
"You're kidding!" Cunla uttered.
"I wish I was, but I'm not."-
"What's a Homunculus?" Sora asked.
"It's a creature born from attempted human transmutation." Edward explained. "They take on the shape of humans, they obtain eternal youth, they have superhuman strength in which one's ability is different from the others, but they have no soul. Their purpose of existence is to forge the philosopher stone, nothing more."
"But why would someone like that be siding with the faction?"
"I don't know, but I know this much," Edward looked up, "I can't allow him to gain such a power."
"Then we better hurry." Cuchulain said. "Here's how we'll situate it. Cunla and I will head back to Agrabah and search out this Mozenrath. Sora, Riku, and Edward will search for Saber. And Goofy and Donald, along with Miss Rockbell and Miss Billiard, will search the four coastal cities for any faction activity."
"But why would we do that?" Winry asked. "We already know where they plan of forging the stone."
"We know, but the faction doesn't know that. We have to make it seem as if we're patrolling the four major costal cities and throw the faction off guard and make them believe that they have us fooled. Only until after we've defeated Mozenrath and end the forging of the stone will we converge and finish off Saber."-
"But wouldn't it be more beneficial if Ed were to accompany you to find Mozenrath?" Sora asked.
"That would be, but Cunla too knows the fundamentals of alchemy, so he should be more than capable. Besides, I know young Ed Elric has a score to settle with his betrayers. And his skills as an alchemist may prove useful."-
"Right…!" Ed said, enthusiastically.
"Then no more discussions." Riku said. "Let's go! The night's growing shorter!"
"We'll take Carpet." Cunla said. "I'm sure he misses Aladdin."
"Okay," Donald agreed. "Then the rest of us will take the three gummies."
"Good luck to you all!" Cuchulain gave an informal salute and the three parties went on their way. But would they succeed as they further entangled in this most complicated of situations? The conclusion for the quest of the hand of Midas and the Philosopher stone begins.
